Southern Surrogacy in South Carolina is a full-service gestational surrogacy program serving several Southern states. We provide local, knowledgeable support to gestational surrogates and intended parents (IPs) from the initial application process to the baby’s birth. Our clients can rely on us for support, answers to their questions, and assistance with any obstacles encountered throughout the surrogacy process. We provide surrogacy services throughout Charleston, Greenville, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, and beyond.
Welcome to Southern Surrogacy in South Carolina
In South Carolina, Southern Surrogacy matches surrogates with couples or individuals seeking help with family building. Our agency understands the importance of building relationships between surrogates and intended parents (IPs). As a means of fostering these connections, we focus on regional matching. In-person meetings with our local team help facilitate a seamless surrogacy matching process.
Gestational Surrogacy, Explained
There are two types of surrogacy arrangements: traditional and gestational surrogacy.
The difference is that gestational carriers do not use their own eggs, so they are not biologically related to the baby. The eggs used in gestational surrogacy are either from the intended mother or from an egg donor. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate’s eggs are used to create an embryo. Because the surrogate is carrying a biologically linked child, there is a much higher legal and emotional risk associated with traditional surrogacy. Southern Surrogacy only works with gestational surrogates.
The Surrogate Process in South Carolina
The surrogacy process at Southern Surrogacy involves several steps, including:
- Learning about the surrogacy process, the medical procedures, legalities, and other factors
- Selecting the surrogacy agency you want to work with
- Finding prospective surrogates or IPs you want to work with
- Participating in a match meeting to enable surrogate candidates and IPs to discover more about each other and hopefully find a match
- Meeting with a surrogacy attorney to learn about the legalities involved in the surrogacy process (note, each party, including the IPs and the surrogate, should have their own South Carolina licensed attorney).
- Obtaining the necessary legal paperwork required for IPs to establish parentage after birth
- Signing a surrogacy agreement/contract
- Undergoing the necessary medical procedures involved in the process
- Undergoing pregnancy confirmation via blood tests and ultrasounds
- Planning for the baby’s birth
- Giving birth
- Taking the new family member home
Surrogacy Laws in South Carolina
There are no laws prohibiting gestational surrogacy in South Carolina, and the state does not regulate the practice. It is essential that all parties work with experienced and knowledgeable surrogacy attorneys who are experts in the field of surrogacy legalities in South Carolina. These lawyers have established safe, legal practices for surrogates and intended parents. It’s also critical for each party, including the IPs and surrogates, to have their own legal counsel in their own state.
The Surrogate Matching Process
Choosing the right surrogate is crucial to a successful surrogacy journey. At Southern Surrogacy, we make it our mission to match you and your family with the perfect surrogate. We understand that a surrogate’s relationship with the IPs is a deeply personal one; establishing that relationship requires a matching process that is equally personal. The surrogacy matching process involves:
- IPs identify their personal surrogacy goals and describe their ideal surrogate (with the help of Southern Surrogacy’s staff)
- IPs and surrogate candidates create a profile, including family photos, to start the process of getting acquainted with each other
- Both parties examine each other’s profiles to determine if there is a potential match
- A match meeting is scheduled to discuss important issues like interests, values, lifestyles, and expectations
- If IPs and surrogates agree, a match is established (both parties have an equal say in agreeing to a match)
Legal Aspects of Surrogacy
At Southern Surrogacy, our attorneys are highly experienced and knowledgeable about the laws governing surrogacy in the Southern states. We work closely with each intended parent and surrogate and refer our clients to trustworthy, local, independent legal counsel. Each party (i.e., IPs and surrogates) should have its own licensed surrogacy attorney in the state in which they reside.
It’s the responsibility of the attorney to discuss the surrogacy goals and preferences with you, and then negotiate a surrogacy agreement/contact with the other party’s lawyer so that South Carolina surrogacy case laws will uphold this contract once it has been completed.
Medical Procedures in Surrogacy
Surrogacy involves several medical procedures, including:
- Preparation for pregnancy by self-injecting hormones
- Egg retrieval (from the intended mother or an egg donor)
- In vitro fertilization (IVF) – the process of fertilization of an egg in a lab
- Transfer of the resulting embryo/s, after IVF, to the surrogate’s uterus for implantation
- Blood tests and ultrasounds to confirm pregnancy
Close medical monitoring is also provided throughout the surrogacy process.
Birth and Transfer
In most cases, the surrogate gives birth at a local birthing center where the attending OB/GYN doctor practices. The IPs are given time to bond with the baby immediately after birth; this usually involves skin-to-skin contact. A pre-birth order, established months before the baby’s delivery date, allows the intended parent(s) to take legal custody immediately after the baby is born. Due to our close relationships with experienced surrogacy lawyers in South Carolina and other Southern states, Southern Surrogacy is confident in obtaining pre-birth orders for all of our IPs.
Becoming a Surrogate in South Carolina
There are many benefits of becoming a surrogate in South Carolina, including personal satisfaction and generous compensation for your time and energy. When you work with Southern Surrogacy, you’ll have the opportunity to interact in person with agency staff and mentors and be matched with local IPs who can actively participate in your pregnancy and birth. Surrogates and their IPs often form deeper connections as a result of strong in-person interactions, which many surrogates attribute to a higher level of fulfillment.
Surrogate Requirements in South Carolina
The basic requirements for becoming a surrogate in South Carolina include:
- Being between the ages of 21 to 45
- A previous healthy pregnancy and birth of a healthy child
- Raising your own child in your home
- Abstaining from tobacco or drug use
- A healthy body mass index (BMI) level
- Availability to travel for surrogacy appointments outside of your local area
- Other requirements
Learn more about the specific requirements for surrogates in South Carolina here.
Surrogate Compensation and Pay in South Carolina
Southern Surrogacy empowers our surrogates to decide what they need to assist a struggling couple or individual with family planning. We strive to assist them in matching that need. Southern Surrogacy compensation consists of three types of surrogate pay, including:
- A competitive base salary
- Compensatory benefits related to pregnancy
- Coverage for all surrogacy expenses and services
This generally totals between $40,000 to $60,000. Learn more about compensation for surrogates in South Carolina here.
Become a Surrogate in South Carolina
Once you have met our basic surrogate requirements, you will receive a longer questionnaire with more detailed questions, such as inquiries about your medical history. Following the medical questionnaire, qualified candidates will move on to our qualification/screening process, which includes:
- Providing medical records from previous pregnancies
- Submitting health insurance information
- Attending a face-to-face meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Completing all authorization forms
- Reviewing the gestational surrogacy agreement
- Passing a background check
- Undergoing an in-home visit
Following your preliminary screenings, you will be matched with your intended parent(s). Once the match is established, you must pass a physical and psychological assessment. Begin your surrogacy journey by applying here.
Finding a Surrogate in South Carolina
Southern Surrogacy provides personalized matching services to ensure a successful surrogacy experience. An initial consultation is arranged so that intended parents can get to know us. The initial consultation will help you decide whether we are the right agency for you. Learn more about how we can assist you in finding the surrogate that most closely matches your family planning needs.
Start Your Surrogacy Journey in South Carolina
The surrogacy process can be very complicated, but our full-service agency helps intended parents and surrogates every step of the way. An in-person surrogacy process helps local surrogate candidates and IPs build strong relationships in South Carolina and other Southern states. Get started on your surrogacy journey by scheduling a free 30-minute consultation via our online meeting request form here.